Improved health, wealth, and happiness. There are plenty of reasons to sleep naked – no matter what the weather!
By Lora O’Brien
I think I’m right in assuming that during the winter months, the idea of sleeping nude is not at all appealing for most of us. In fact, on the contrary – we just want to cosy up in a onesie under a duvet with a cup of hot chocolate and a movie.
But you should be shedding those clothes and diving into bed in the buff (and not just for ‘sexy time’)! Sure, it may seem a little odd at first if you’re used to sleeping in layers. But after you read how great sleeping nude is for your physical and mental health, you may just want to go pyjama-and-undies-free tonight – and every night!
Here are 10 good reasons you should sleep naked, no matter what the weather.
10 Great Reasons To Sleep Nude
1. You’ll experience a deeper sleep
Hands up if you’ve had bad night’s sleep thanks to a pair of knickers wedged up your bum or being tortured by a twisted T-shirt?
Indeed, no matter how dark your room or how comfy your bed is, wearing clothes to bed may prevent a deeper sleep, as ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ can actually wake us up. But they can also prevent us from getting sleepy in the first place: studies show that certain types of insomnia have been associated with a temperamental body temperature caused by bed clothes.
Feeling hot in bed not only affects our sleep cycle, but also inhibits us from drifting off into and deep and peaceful slumber. Wearing only a ‘birthday suit’ not only helps to regulate body temperature so that we drift off more easily, but also means we won’t wake up in a sweaty mess throughout the night.
2. You’ll become more efficient
We’ve all had those days when we roll out of bed and have zero energy to do anything other than fall on the sofa and be lazy all day. And this means staying in our pyjamas, the same clothes we’ve just spent the night sleeping in, for hours. Sleeping naked will lessen the chances of this happening and will certainty give you the boost you need to be more efficient with your day.
In the cooler months, waking up nude also prompts you to get up quicker in the morning and get dressed immediately as you’ll feel chillier without clothes on, obviously. This means you’ll be far more likely to get up, shower and dress for the day ahead – lazy weekends, begone!
3. You’ll decrease your risk of breast cancer
Studies have shown that wearing tight, restrictive clothing around your breasts reduces the blood flow to the area and can actually lead to a higher breast cancer risk. If you feel you need to wear a tight bra during the day, at least give your boobs some freedom at night and let them roam free. It’s well worth a reduced cancer risk, right?
4. It helps your skin
Think about it – we cover up our bodies with clothes for hours on end every single day and restrict the amount of air circulating our skin.
Nighttime is a great opportunity let our skin finally breathe, diminishing the bacteria, sweat and skin build-up that occurs when we wear layers of clothes. This can even do wonders to prevent athlete’s foot, in some cases.
5. It keeps you youthful
Whilst sleeping naked won’t turn back the hands of time, it will help you to age better. When your body gets too warm at night, it can prevent the release of melatonin and human growth hormone.
These are both vital for helping us to look as fresh-faced and youthful as possible, so ditching your clothes will help to keep your body temperature low enough to keep producing these hormones in abundance, which will in turn help prevent wrinkles, repair cells, lessen spots and give your face that fresh faced glow you get after a good night’s sleep.
6. It leads to more sexy time
This is one of the more obvious reasons to sleep naked! Being nude promotes sensual, skin-to-skin contact with whomever you share a bed. And surely we all know from experience that this can lead to *ahem* ‘increased intimacy’.
But even if it doesn’t, close skin-to-skin contact also releases oxytocin, otherwise known as the ‘bonding hormone’. This results in you feeling happier with and more connected to your partner. It can even help to alleviate stress and depression.
7. It boosts metabolism & increases weight loss
I’ll bet you never associated sleeping with clothes on and weight gain, right? But the reality is that if you’re getting all hot, sweaty and tangled up when you sleep, your body won’t be releasing much human growth hormone – the trigger used to repair cells. Instead, your cortisol levels will stay high. And ultimately, your body will remain in ‘panic’ mode rather than ‘healing’ mode.
As a consequence, more fat is stored, and your metabolism is less effective. Ever noticed that when you don’t sleep well, you want to snack more? Especially on comfort food and carbs? That’s why.
In short, kicking off clothes maintains a cooler body temperature a night. This ensures metabolism boosting human growth hormone levels increase, cortisol levels decrease and over-eating is minimised.
8. You’ll have a happier vajayjay
If you’ve ever suffered with a yeast infection or a urinary tract infection, you may want to ditch the night time undies! Sleeping naked can reduce infections in the nether regions. That’s because sleeping in cooler, more airy conditions reduces yeast production. (It thrives in moist, hot environments).
Wearing tight underwear that cuts off airflow to your vaginal area also contributes to painful UTIs. And it isn’t just women who should ditch the undies! Men can also benefit from sleeping naked. That’s because their testes stay cooler, thus keeping their sperm healthier and fertility higher.
9. You’ll love yourself & your body more
Body issues are something that plague many of us. There’s always something we don’t quite like when we look in the mirror. But shedding clothes before sleep can lead to better body acceptance.
Start removing your clothes before sleep and get accustomed to exactly how you look every night; over time you’ll become used to seeing yourself naked, and if you have a partner, you’ll be less inhibited presenting your naked body to him or her. Before long, you’ll feel more comfortable without clothing, and you’ll learn to love yourself and the skin you’re in.
10. You’ll save money
This is one of the more obvious reasons to sleep naked, but let’s face it: we have clothes for work, clothes for working out, clothes for bumming around the house…do we really need another wardrobe just for sleeping? If you’ve read the 9 points above, the clear answer is ‘no’!
And as an added bonus: shopping for less clothing not only helps you save money, but saves the planet, too!
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Uh… no. Sleeping naked doesn’t prevent bladder infections. It can actually cause them. If like for say, your bed sheets are dirty and you’re laying naked in bed all that dirt can get up inside your private, only applies to women of course. So, if you sleep naked make sure your sheets are completely clean.